Brad Lander

Bradford S. Lander is an American politician, urban planner, and activist serving as a member of the New York City Council for the 39th District. He is a progressive politician, supports defunding the police, and a core ideal of his is to "comfort... the afflicted and afflict... the comfortable."[1] He has been a leading advocate of a program that has moved over 9,500 homeless people (Lander's goal is 30,000 homeless) to vacant hotel rooms across New York City. Politico described Lander as "one of the most left-leaning politicians in the city."[2]

Brad Lander
Member of the New York City Council
from the 39th District
Assumed office
January 1, 2010
Preceded byBill de Blasio
Personal details
BornMissouri, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Meg Barnette
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Chicago (BA)
Pratt Institute (MS)
University College London (MSc)
WebsiteOfficial website

His district includes portions of Brooklyn: Boerum Hill, Borough Park, Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Flatbush, Gowanus, Green-Wood Cemetery, Kensington, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Red Hook, Prospect Park, South Slope, Sunset Park, and Windsor Terrace.[3]

Early life and education

Lander, a Missouri native,[4] grew up in St. Louis[5] in a Reform Jewish family.[6] He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago where he received the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, and a Master's degree in anthropology from University College London[5] on a Marshall Scholarship, and a Master's degree in urban planning from the Pratt Institute.[7][8]

Early career

Lander served for a decade as executive director of the Fifth Avenue Committee,[9][10] a not-for-profit community-based organization that develops and manages affordable housing. As a director, Lander won local and national recognition for his work at FAC including the 2000 New York Magazine Civics Award,[11] and the 2002 Leadership for a Changing World award, sponsored by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Sustainable Communities.[9]

In 1999, Rolling Stone Magazine awarded Lander the "Do Something Brick Award" for his community work in affordable housing advocacy. Other awards from the Ford Foundation, the Fannie Mae Foundation and the University of Chicago were granted during his tenure as a director.

Lander is the former Director of the Pratt Center for Community Development, in which position he was a critic of the Bloomberg administration's development policies.[12][13][14] He has also been a critic of the Atlantic Yards project.[15] Lander's work in 2003–2005 on the Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning led to the first New York City inclusionary housing program to create affordable housing in new development outside Manhattan.[16] Lander served on a mayoral taskforce that recommended reforms to the 421-a tax exemption for luxury housing and required that new development in certain areas of the city set aside affordable housing units.[17][18] He co-led the completion of the One City One Future platform,[19] a progressive vision for economic development in New York City.[20] He stepped down after six years as head of the organization to seek a seat on the New York City Council.[21] He teaches community planning, housing, and urban policy at Brooklyn Law School.[22]

Political career

Politico described Lander as "one of the most left-leaning politicians in the city."[23]

New York City Council

Lander was first elected to New York City Council office on the Democratic Party and Working Families Party lines on November 4, 2009, with 70% of the vote. Lander had won a hotly contested Democratic primary on September 15, 2009 with 41% of the vote in a field of five.[24] Lander was reelected on the Democratic and Working Families Parties' lines in 2013 to serve for a second term.

Lander is a co-founder of the Progressive Caucus in the New York City Council, a group that was described by the New York Times as "the City Council’s most liberal members."[25] For his first term, Brad shared the title of Co-Chair of the caucus with his Manhattan colleague Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.[26]

Lander was one of four Council members who brought participatory budgeting to New York City, which allows citizens to propose, develop, and vote on items in the municipal budget.[27] Over half of the 51 New York City Council Districts now engage in participatory budgeting.[28]

Lander opposed rezoning the site of Long Island College Hospital to include affordable housing.[29] As of July 2017, he was the primary sponsor of 20 local laws enacted by the City Council and signed by the Mayor.[30] In addition, Lander played a role in helping shepherd the Community Safety Act to passage, with Council member Jumaane Williams.[31] By April 2020, Lander had sponsored over 2,254 article of legislation. [32] City and State New York ranked the performance of Lander in the lower half of NYC lawmakers, ranking him 30th out of the 51 councilmembers, on the criteria of the number of bills introduced, the number of bills signed into law, attendance, and responsiveness to questions from constituents and from the media.[33]

Lander has drawn criticism and, in his words, "anger" and "suspicion" for vocally supporting contracts for two homeless shelters in particular.[34] He did this despite multiple press reports that those contracts contain up to $89 million of unexplained cost compared to contracts for equivalent shelters, and that there is no apparent explanation for the increased cost, which neighbors said was $10,557 per unit per month.[35][36][37][38][39][40] Lander acknowledged that the contracts will benefit developers accused of wrongdoing in the past.[36]

In his second term on the Council, Lander served as the deputy leader for policy.[7] During this term he admitted to an ethics violation for using his official government position to solicit monetary donations for a progressive non-profit he helped to create, and of which he was Chairman.[41][42] Lander chairs the Council's Committee on Rules, Privileges and Ethics.[43]

Lander has been a leading advocate of a program that has moved over 9,500 homeless people (Lander's goal is 30,000 homeless) to vacant hotel rooms across New York City to provide space for social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, at an average cost of $174 per room per night (or $5,293 per person per month).[44][45][46] The proposal drew intense criticism from New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's New York City Department of Social Services, which called it

“ham-fisted and reckless, self-defeatingly unilateral and ill-informed, and legally questionable and amateurish: insisting on using a one-size fits all approach for a system that is anything but, and forcing the involuntary rushed transfer of more than ten thousand people into hotels without appropriate services to match, putting individuals with higher service needs, including substance use challenges, at risk in the process."[46]

Lander called DSS's concerns "cartoonish insults."[46] The program has also drawn strong reactions from neighborhood residents, with some residents saying the program has led to significant increases in crime, nonstop open drug sales and drug use, public sex acts, and rampant street harassment of women and girls, and worrying about the risk of having sex offenders housed 1-block from a public school; other residents have been more open to the program.[1][45][47]

In June 2020, Lander announced: "It is time to defund the police".[48] In December he called for the disbandment of the New York City Police Department Vice Unit.[49]

Lander said in December 2020 that it was a core ideal of his to "comfort... the afflicted and afflict... the comfortable."[1]

Comptroller race

Facing term limits for his council seat after his second term, Lander announced he is running for election in the 2021 New York City Comptroller race.[7][8] The race will be for an open position as current Comptroller, Scott Stringer, is also facing term limits and will vacate the seat.[7][8] He is running in the Democratic primary against among others NY State Senator Brian Benjamin, entrepreneur and former US Marine Zach Iscol, NY State Senator Kevin Parker, and NYS Assemblymember David Weprin.[50]

Election history
Election history
Location Year Election Results
NYC Council
District 39		 2009 Democratic Primary √ Brad Lander 40.57%
Josh Skaller 24.92%
John L. Heyer II 23.09%
Bob Zuckerman 7.81%
Gary G. Reilly 3.61%
NYC Council
District 39		 2009 General √ Brad Lander (D) 70.49%
Joe Nardiello (R) 16.58%
David Pechefsky (Green) 8.87%
George Smith (Conservative) 2.95%
Roger Sarrabo (L) 1.11%
NYC Council
District 39		 2013 General √ Brad Lander (D) 91.72%
James Murray (Conservative) 8.09%

Personal life

Lander has lived in Brooklyn for two decades. His wife, Meg Barnette, a former executive at Planned Parenthood, now President of Nonprofit New York.[51][52] He also served as the Housing Chair of Brooklyn Community Board 6, served on the board of directors of the Jewish Funds for Justice, and is a little league coach in the 78th Precinct Youth Council.[10]

References
  1. Barron, Seth (December 19, 2020). "Progressive leaders make it their mission to afflict comfortable New Yorkers".
  3. "Housing Advocate Brad Lander to Run for DeBlasio's Council Spot – Daily Intel". Nymag.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  4. Lander, Brad (July 29, 2017). "As a Missouri native, esp great to see inspiring leaders like StL's @Tishaura Jones & @MeganEllyia and KC's @JermaineReed. #LocalProgress17pic.twitter.com/I05jNtPnke".
  5. Taylor, Kate (January 23, 2014). "An Unassuming Liberal Makes a Rapid Ascent to Power Broker" – via NYTimes.com.
  6. "How Face Of Anti-Trump Resistance Keeps Orthodox Happy, Too". The Forward.
  7. Khurshid, Samar. "2021 Comptroller Race Now Features Two City Council Members". Gotham Gazette.
  8. "Could Brad Lander Be the City's Next Comptroller?". April 8, 2019.
  9. "Award Recipients". leadershipforchange.org. August 12, 2001. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  10. "Brad Lander". April 16, 2010.
  11. "The New York Awards 2000". Nymag.com. December 18, 2000. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  12. "Pratt Institute". Pratt.edu. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  13. "About Brad Lander – National Housing Institute". Rooflines. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  14. "Bloomberg reshapes city, despite high profile setbacks". Newsday. New York. April 10, 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  15. Bernstein, Andrea (September 13, 2005). "Developer Has Mixed Record in Brooklyn". WNYC. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  16. Cardwell, Diane (December 27, 2004). "City Sees Way to Get Mix of Homes on Brooklyn Waterfront". New York Times. New York City. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  17. "Reforming NYC's 421-a Property Tax Exemption Program". Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  18. Adam Lisberg (February 8, 2009). "Real estate board is hammerin' for old tax breaks". New York Daily News. New York. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  19. "Travel and Car Rentals". Onecityonefuture.org. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  20. "The Brian Lehrer Show: One City/One Future". WNYC. May 12, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  21. "Homepage". Pratt Center for Community Development. Archived from the original on August 10, 2009.
  24. "In the 39th District: Lander crushes four rivals". The Brooklyn Paper. September 16, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  25. Taylor, Kate (January 23, 2014). "An Unassuming Liberal Makes a Rapid Ascent to Power Broker". New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  26. Chen, David W. (March 23, 2010). "12 New York City Council Members Form Liberal Bloc". New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  27. Sangha, Soni (March 30, 2012). "For Some New Yorkers, a Grand Experiment in Participatory Budgeting". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  28. "About PBNYC". Participatory Budgeting. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  29. "Brad Lander Comes Out Against Cobble Hill Rezoning for LICH Development". www.brownstoner.com. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  30. Inc., Granicus. "The New York City Council - Brad S. Lander". legistar.council.nyc.gov. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  31. "The Community Safety Act | Communities United for Police Reform". www.changethenypd.org.
  32. Lander, Brad. "Sponsored Legislation". The New York City Council. The NYC Council. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  33. Lander, Brad (January 26, 2020). "How we calculated the Best & Worst New York City Lawmakers". City & State (analysis of performance). Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  34. Kolpak, D. J. "Homeless Hotels Creating Chaos on the Upper West Side". The Jewish Press.
  35. Ricciulli, Valeria (July 24, 2019). "Proposed Park Slope homeless shelters spark heated debate". Curbed NY.
  36. Council Member Brad Lander (May 28, 2019). "535 & 555 4th Avenue Homeless Family Shelters FAQ". Brad Lander. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  37. NY Daily News Editorial Board. "The cost of homelessness: Why do two new homeless shelters in Brooklyn cost so much?". nydailynews.com. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  38. "De Blasio's Department Of Homeless Services Can't Fully Explain High Costs Of New Park Slope Shelters". Gothamist. July 11, 2019. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  39. Brachfeld, Ben (June 28, 2019). "'Someone Is Getting Very, Very Rich': Neighbors Call For More Details To Be Released About Park Slope Homeless Shelters". bklyner.com. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  40. "Park Slope Homeless Shelters Could Cost $89M More Than Elsewhere". Park Slope, NY Patch. July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  41. Sanders, Anna (September 13, 2019). "NYC Councilman Brad Lander". New York Daily News (Apologizes after violating ethics rules). Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  44. "Open 30K Hotel Rooms For Homeless During Coronavirus: Advocates". Park Slope, NY Patch. April 8, 2020.
  45. Slotnik, Daniel E. (August 18, 2020). "What Happened When Homeless Men Moved Into a Liberal Neighborhood". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  46. Chang, Sophia (May 17, 2020). "Bill Requiring City To Provide Single Hotel Rooms To Homeless Is "Reckless," Department of Social Services Says". Gothamist. Archived from the original on May 18, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  47. Waller, Derick (August 5, 2020). "Sex offenders at Upper West Side hotel will likely extend their stay". ABC7 New York. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  48. "My commitment to working to defund the NYPD". Brad Lander.
  50. Mays, Jeffery C. (January 27, 2021). "One Candidate Leaves Crowded Mayor's Race. One From 'Housewives' Joins". The New York Times.
  51. "About Brad Lander". Brad Lander for NYC.
  52. "Nonprofit New York Announces New President & CEO, Meg Barnette". Philanthropy New York. March 27, 2020.
Political offices
Preceded by
Bill de Blasio		 New York City Council, 39th District
2010–present		 Incumbent
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